Patient voices

1,315 articles · Since 2005

Articles, page 63

How a wealth of information takes attention away from the patient

August 31, 2009Aug 31, 20096

by Abraham Verghese, MD This month I am the attending physician overseeing an internal medicine team, one of four such teams that admit patients to my teaching hospital. It's a great time to be an attending physician. I have seasoned…

by Abraham Verghese, MD

This month I am the attending physician overseeing an internal medicine team, one of four such teams that admit patients to my teaching hospital. It’s a great time to be an attending physician. I have seasoned interns who in just a few weeks will be junior residents, and I have even more seasoned senior residents on their way to entering practice or entering subspecialty training. The team …

Poll: How should doctors make patients responsible for their own health?

Kevin

August 30, 2009Aug 30, 20098

The current health reform proposals do not make enough of an effort to encourage patients to take care of themselves. After all, the frequency of two leading causes of death, diabetes and heart disease, can be markedly reduced with lifestyle…

What is the best way to encourage patients to take responsibility for their own health?

Rewards or penalties can indeed motivate change. Several years ago, West Virginia’s Medicaid program asked …

Can stealing in childhood be normal, and when should parents worry?

Kevin

August 25, 2009Aug 25, 20094

Parents are often worried when they catch their children stealing, or worse, shoplifting. When it occurs in toddlers, it's often phrased as "a child who doesn't want to share." But, if the behavior continues, when should parents start to worry?…

Parents are often worried when they catch their children stealing, or worse, shoplifting.

When it occurs in toddlers, it’s often phrased as “a child who doesn’t want to share.” But, if the behavior continues, when should parents start to worry?

That’s the subject of a recent article by pediatrician Perri Klass. She talks with a variety of child experts, who all say that most children under the age of …

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Doctors take risks by treating celebrity patients

Kevin

August 6, 2009Aug 6, 20097

Treating a celebrity may not be all that it's cracked up to be. In the wake of Michael Jackson's death, a recent piece from American Medical News summarizes some of the dangers physicians face by taking on celebrities. The piece…

Treating a celebrity may not be all that it’s cracked up to be.

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s death, a recent piece from American Medical News summarizes some of the dangers physicians face by taking on celebrities.

The piece cites a study which concluded that “celebrities were an average 17% more narcissistic than the general public,” and perhaps because of this, some “are extremely manipulative, and there is a lot of …

Should movies receive an R-rating for having smoking scenes?

Kevin

August 4, 2009Aug 4, 20098

Extreme? Perhaps not. Over at Better Health, Jonathan Foulds at first dismisses the somewhat radical suggestion that all movies that include smoking scenes should be slapped with an R-rating. But after thinking about it, he realizes it's not as extreme…

Extreme? Perhaps not.

Over at Better Health, Jonathan Foulds at first dismisses the somewhat radical suggestion that all movies that include smoking scenes should be slapped with an R-rating.

But after thinking about it, he realizes it’s not as extreme as it appears.

He cites the work of anti-smoking crusader Stan Glantz, who reasons that, “movies made to be viewed by kids do not need to include smoking, and therefore should be given …

Do canes and walkers prevent falls in the elderly?

Kevin

August 4, 2009Aug 4, 2009

Not always. Although when used correctly they can help maintain mobility, MedPage Today reports a study showing that they are associated with an increase in falls when used improperly. According to the study, it's "estimated that 47,312 fall injuries associated…

Not always.

Although when used correctly they can help maintain mobility, MedPage Today reports a study showing that they are associated with an increase in falls when used improperly.

According to the study, it’s “estimated that 47,312 fall injuries associated with walking aids are treated each year among older Americans.”

And worse, falls associated with canes and walkers resulted in more severe injuries, with a third of these cases requiring hospitalization. …

When fat doctors talk to obese patients

Kevin

August 3, 2009Aug 3, 200913

How can doctors counsel obese patients why they themselves struggle with their own weight? That's the question pediatrician Perri Klass discusses in a recent New York Times column. On one hand, doctors who are obese may better connect with patients…

How can doctors counsel obese patients why they themselves struggle with their own weight?

That’s the question pediatrician Perri Klass discusses in a recent New York Times column. On one hand, doctors who are obese may better connect with patients when they “understand their frailties.”

But on the other, patients also ignore advice from physicians who can’t follow it themselves. Indeed, that’s what pediatrician Julie C. Lumeng, an expert …

Read more…

When fat doctors talk to obese patients

We should not care about Regina Benjamin’s weight

Kevin

July 27, 2009Jul 27, 200922

Regina Benjamin has impressive qualifications to become our next Surgeon General. She's a primary care physician in Alabama who has spent considerable time treating the poor. Certainly a better choice than celebrity neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta. But it's unfortunate that there…

Regina Benjamin has impressive qualifications to become our next Surgeon General. She’s a primary care physician in Alabama who has spent considerable time treating the poor. Certainly a better choice than celebrity neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta.

But it’s unfortunate that there has been so much controversy about her weight.

Rob Lamberts has the best take I’ve read on the issue, and he …

Cursing can kill pain, I swear

Kevin

July 24, 2009Jul 24, 20092

Maybe those who scream obscenities while in pain are onto something. MedPage Today writes about a study showing that those who swore had an increased pain tolerance, along with an increased heart rate. This is similar to the proverbial "fight…

Maybe those who scream obscenities while in pain are onto something.

MedPage Today writes about a study showing that those who swore had an increased pain tolerance, along with an increased heart rate. This is similar to the proverbial “fight or flight” response that can help mitigate actual pain.

Researchers asked a group of undergraduate college students submerge one of their hands in freezing cold water. One group was …

Read more…

Cursing can kill pain, I swear

Will this picture prevent you from buying cigarettes?

Kevin

July 22, 2009Jul 22, 200915

A display of attention-getting cancer artwork to potentially deter smokers from buying cigarette packs. Will something like this work in real life? (via Street Anatomy)

A display of attention-getting cancer artwork to potentially deter smokers from buying cigarette packs. Will something like this work in real life?

(via Street Anatomy)

Will this picture prevent you from buying cigarettes?

Rahul Parikh on the KevinMD Live Q&A: Tuesday, July 21st at 10:30pm Eastern

Kevin

July 19, 2009Jul 19, 20092

Pediatrician Rahul Parikh will be my next guest on the Live Q&A. Dr. Parikh blogs at sWell at Open Salon, and is a contributor to the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. He touches upon a wide variety of…

Pediatrician Rahul Parikh will be my next guest on the Live Q&A.

Dr. Parikh blogs at sWell at Open Salon, and is a contributor to the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. He touches upon a wide variety of issues, including, health care reform, educating the public on the mythical link between vaccines and autism, and commenting on Oprah’s medical endorsements. In fact, his opinion on Oprah pre-dated …

Why are hospitals offering nurses free plastic surgery?

Kevin

July 13, 2009Jul 13, 20097

Is there pressure for nurses to look more like models? The answer appears to be yes, in Prague. Citing an article in The New York Times, plastic surgeon Chris Hess (via Better Health) notes that nurses in that region are…

Is there pressure for nurses to look more like models?

The answer appears to be yes, in Prague. Citing an article in The New York Times, plastic surgeon Chris Hess (via Better Health) notes that nurses in that region are “under enormous pressure to look good in a society where attractiveness is often as highly prized as clinical skills.”

And according to this Czech nurse, “We were always taught that …

Why is it so difficult to get an appointment with your doctor?

Kevin

July 6, 2009Jul 6, 20099

Most patients complain about the time they have to wait to see a physician. Not only the time between an appointment and the office visit, but once there, the time it takes to actually see someone. After internist Jan Gurley…

Most patients complain about the time they have to wait to see a physician.

Not only the time between an appointment and the office visit, but once there, the time it takes to actually see someone.

After internist Jan Gurley breaks down the numbers, it’s easy to see why. Primary care doctors, on average, have patient panels averaging 2,500 patients or so. Assuming full-time working doctor who only takes …

Reader take: Moral hazard, and whether patients should consider cost in their health care decisions

Kevin

June 30, 2009Jun 30, 200918

The following is a reader take by an anonymous medical student. One of the ideas that comes up in the search for explanations of high healthcare costs is the so-called “Moral Hazard”—the idea that insured patients are more likely to…

The following is a reader take by an anonymous medical student.

One of the ideas that comes up in the search for explanations of high healthcare costs is the so-called “Moral Hazard”—the idea that insured patients are more likely to agree to unnecessary procedures because they don’t pay for them directly. Not everyone thinks it is real—does a patient have the medical knowledge to make an informed decision? …

Patients die when doctors don’t talk to one another

Kevin

June 29, 2009Jun 29, 20096

Poor communication in medicine can kill. I wrote a piece a few years ago on the issue (What we have in health care today is a failure to communicate), and fellow primary care doctor Rob Lamberts revisits the topic in…

Poor communication in medicine can kill.

I wrote a piece a few years ago on the issue (What we have in health care today is a failure to communicate), and fellow primary care doctor Rob Lamberts revisits the topic in a recent post.

In fact, he goes one further, saying not only does it cost money, “It kills. Patients have died because of this.”

Hospitals and emergency rooms rarely have access …

How patients can annoy their doctors

Kevin

June 24, 2009Jun 24, 200911

A study suggested that doctors rated up to 15 percent of patients they see as "difficult." What does that mean? This piece from MedPage Today and ABC News, gives six examples of what patients can do to frustrate their doctors.…

A study suggested that doctors rated up to 15 percent of patients they see as “difficult.”

What does that mean? This piece from MedPage Today and ABC News, gives six examples of what patients can do to frustrate their doctors.

I’ll leave the obvious ones for you to read, such as stopping medications without notice, or keeping silent about the herbs and supplements patients may be taking, and instead focus …

Read more…

How patients can annoy their doctors

Should patients lie to their doctors?

Kevin

June 23, 2009Jun 23, 200918

Apparently, there are some legitimate reasons why a patient may lie to their physicians. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times discusses the phenomenon, which as Dr. Gregory House would aptly summarize as, "Everyone lies." In fact, a recent…

Apparently, there are some legitimate reasons why a patient may lie to their physicians.

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times discusses the phenomenon, which as Dr. Gregory House would aptly summarize as, “Everyone lies.”

In fact, a recent survey suggests that “38% of respondents said they lied about following doctors’ orders and 32% about diet or exercise.”

One interesting reason is that patients are wary disclosing potentially damaging information …

Read more…

Should patients lie to their doctors?

Retail clinics are not for patients with chronic disease

Kevin

June 18, 2009Jun 18, 2009

A patient recounts a dubious recent experience at a retail clinic. Blogging over at Ill and Uninsured in Illinois (via Duncan Cross' new patient-focused blog carnival), the patient correctly surmises that, "they're a stop-gap, not a replacement for a primary-care…

A patient recounts a dubious recent experience at a retail clinic.

Blogging over at Ill and Uninsured in Illinois (via Duncan Cross’ new patient-focused blog carnival), the patient correctly surmises that, “they’re a stop-gap, not a replacement for a primary-care physician,” and, “if you rely on on such clinics for your medical care, it’s very possible that underlying problems will go on unrecognized.”

Worse, studies have shown that many of these …

Do physician quality measures tell patients who’s a good doctor?

Kevin

June 17, 2009Jun 17, 20094

Not always. Most quality measures are based on billable data, such as rate of breast or colon cancer screening, or in young women, the rates of chlamydia screening. But do these numbers necessarily tell patients who are the best doctors?…

Not always.

Most quality measures are based on billable data, such as rate of breast or colon cancer screening, or in young women, the rates of chlamydia screening.

But do these numbers necessarily tell patients who are the best doctors?

Over at Better Health, Evan Falchuk has his doubts. He asserts that “the information is simply not valuable to consumers. Worse, I think it is deeply misleading. A medical group …

What do patients want from their doctors?

Kevin

June 16, 2009Jun 16, 200922

With doctors pressed for time, and patients increasingly dissatisfied with their care, how can physicians do it all? According to a 2006 study, patients want their doctors to be "confident, empathetic, humane, personal, forthright, respectful and thorough." But in the…

With doctors pressed for time, and patients increasingly dissatisfied with their care, how can physicians do it all?

According to a 2006 study, patients want their doctors to be “confident, empathetic, humane, personal, forthright, respectful and thorough.” But in the age of conveyor-belt medicine, and the standard 15-minute office visit, it’s becoming apparent that today’s physician will have trouble fitting that mold.

There are some tips a busy doctor can …

Patient voices

Articles, page 63

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